Artist: John Bottomley, Album: Blackberry, Song: You Lose And You Gain

"Being apart has kept me drained and all this growth has come from pain.  You lose and you gain.  Just when I feel life is falling apart.  Suddenly I turn and it's back in my heart again.  You lose and you gain."  John Bottomley is a singer songwriter who was originally from Toronto but now resides in British Columbia.  If you had your ear to the ground in Toronto during the eighties and nineties you would definitely recognize his name.  He was a popular act on the Toronto scene both as a solo artist and as a member of the band, Tulpa.  He won a Juno award as an independent early in his career and in 1995, released Blackberry with BMG.  This release helped him chart his first top ten hit with the song, You Lose And You Gain.  He is a published writer  and illustrates his own artwork.  To date, he has written 3 books and has 9 solo albums to his credit.  You Lose And You Gain is a melancholy pop masterpiece.  John is still playing live and recording.  His latest release in 2009 was entitled The Mountain Hammered.  You can follow John at http://www.johnbottomley.net/.  The album Blackberry is available on Itunes and Amazon.  You can watch the video for You Lose And You Gain on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuDlf9JxfcM).  As always, you can hear this song and others that I blog about on Live 365 (www.live365.com/stations/raisedoncndnradio).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!